


How to Tell When Your Mom Is Dating a Robot

by AstroGirl



Category: The Orville (TV)
Genre: Episode Related, F/M, Kid POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 07:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18310568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstroGirl/pseuds/AstroGirl
Summary: It's a small ship, and people talk. A lot.





	How to Tell When Your Mom Is Dating a Robot

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Gen Prompt Bingo, for the prompt "The Rumor Mill." (Because if I'm going to get weirdly obsessive about this fandom and this pairing, I'm going to at least get some bingo fills out of it!) It's set shortly after "A Happy Refrain," and sometime before "Identity, Pt. 1."

There's something the adults on the ship aren't telling him.

Marcus isn't dumb. He sees Lieutenant Malloy's reaction to him when he walks into the mess hall looking for an afternoon snack and a little time away from his pestering brother. One minute the guy's leaning forward, talking to a table full of people in his "Hey, can you believe _this_?" voice. Something about it raining on the bridge, which doesn't make any sense at all.

And the next minute he's looking over at Marcus, and his mouth slams shut so hard Marcus can almost hear it. There's a long, awkward silence as Marcus passes by on the way to get his food, and then everyone at the table starts talking, all casual, about Commander Bortus shaving his mustache.

Marcus _hates_ it when people do that. Treating him like a little kid, like he can't hear whatever "adult" things they're gossiping about. Sex or dangerous aliens or that stuff the captain and Commander Grayson smoke sometimes when they're off-duty. Not wanting him to hear about rain is new, though. New, and kind of weird.

He keeps on walking, doesn't look at any of them, pretends he doesn't care as he collects his chicken fingers from the machine. As he comes back past them, heading for a table in the corner, they get quiet again.

Then, when he's far enough away that they probably think he's out of earshot, he hears Lieutenant LaMarr say, "What, we're not gonna tell him?"

"I dunno," says Malloy, "Don't you kinda think it's something his mom should tell him?"

Marcus pretends he hasn't heard. He sits at his table and picks up his chicken, but suddenly his stomach doesn't seem to want it anymore. 

Did he... do something? He has no idea what it might be, but... Is whatever they're talking about his fault, somehow? Maybe it's something that happened when they messed with the food dispenser to get the vodka. He can't imagine how that could possibly be right, but he doesn't know anything about how ships work.

Is he going to be in trouble?

He makes himself eat the chicken, but he doesn't think it tastes as good as it usually does. He tries not to take that as another sign that something's wrong.

**

When he gets home, his mom doesn't say anything to him. In fact, she seems really, really happy. So maybe it's okay after all.

**

But the weirdness doesn't stop. The next day, it comes from two crewmembers he barely knows. They pass him in the hall, so wrapped up in their conversation they don't even seem to see him. 

"No, seriously," one of them says. "I heard it from Ensign Cayles. She says she's sitting there at Navigation, soaking wet, trying to do her job, and the doctor's just standing there, right behind her, kissing him in the rain. Like a scene out of a cheap simulator romance."

"This ship is _so_ weird!" says the other.

"I know, right?" They laugh together as they turn a corner and disappear out of sight.

Marcus suddenly realizes he's stopped dead in the middle of the corridor, but he can't quite seem to make himself move. The doctor? His mom? His _mom_ was kissing someone?

Wait, _his mom was kissing someone?_

How is that right? How is that fair? That doesn't make any sense at all. They're a family, he and Ty and Mom. Why would Mom need someone else? Why would she go around kissing guys on the bridge? (In the rain? That _still_ doesn't make any sense.) How could she do this to him?

Now he doesn't want to go home. Doesn't want to go and look at his mom with these thoughts in his head.

He turns around and heads for the simulator instead.

**

By the time he arrives, he's feeling embarrassed, on top of everything else he's feeling. He's outgrown that tree he and Ty used to sit in when they wanted to be alone and cry. It's babyish. But he wants it anyway, and since none of his friends are here...

Oh, crap. None of his friends are here, no, but there _are_ a couple of engineers, standing there poking at a panel outside of simulator room one. And _they're_ talking about his mom, too.

"...did all kinds of reprogramming in here for his date with Doctor Finn. Like, really impressive stuff. Gave himself a totally realistic simulation of a human body."

"Wait, why would he do that?"

"Dude, why do you _think_?"

They laugh in a way that makes him feel vaguely uncomfortable, while Marcus stands behind them, unseen, rooted to the spot. His mind struggles to make sense of whatever it is he's just heard.

"Always knew Isaac was smarter than the rest of us," the second one says, "'cause he pretty much never lets you forget it. But who knew he had game? Maybe us inferior biological lifeforms ought to watch our backs."

"Far as I'm concerned," says the other, sliding a datachip into the panel, "he can steal all the human women he wants, 'long as I get a copy of this body-simulation program. Can you imagine the possibilities? Come on. Just _imagine_ them."

They laugh again, until the second guy looks around and catches sight of Marcus. His green skin flushes a paler color, and he goes quiet, elbows his friend in the ribs, and jerks his chin in Marcus's direction.

Marcus barely notices. Dazed, he continues down he corridor, past the simulator rooms, unable to even remember quite why he came this way.

Isaac? His mom is dating _Isaac_? Why didn't anybody _tell_ him? 

The tight feeling that's been sitting in his chest since yesterday loosens suddenly, and relief floods through him, bursting out across his face in a grin. It's just Isaac! There's no intruder barging into their family. No secret stranger taking his mom away. They're only talking about Isaac, after all. Everything is totally cool.

At least, he thinks it's cool. It's also kind of weird, though, right? Isn't it? Are people going to think it's weird? 

Oh no. Does everyone at school know already?

**

Home for dinner, and he feels really dumb for not having figured it out before, because Isaac's here, the way Isaac's always here, and he's never seen his mom smile at anybody the way she keeps smiling at Isaac. 

Now that he thinks about it, he's pretty sure she's been smiling like that for a while. The way she touches Isaac's hand is new, though, and the way she keeps leaning towards him like she's about to share some kind of secret with him. Or already shares some kind of secret with him.

Seriously, does she think he doesn't _know_? Man, moms can be so dumb.

It is kind of nice to see her happy like this, though.

**

But he still really doesn't want to go to school on Monday morning. Enough so that he almost thinks about faking a stomachache, except that never actually works when your mom is a doctor. Even if, this time, it's a little bit true. His stomach _is_ doing some pretty freaky things to him every time he thinks about what the other kids are going to say.

He sucks it up and goes, though, because it's still easier than arguing with his mom or putting up with her giving him an examination and a lecture. Maybe he'll just be able to slip in and sit in the back so no one will notice, and no one will talk to him, and...

Five kids are standing outside the classroom. _Crap_. 

The instant he walks up, one of them – Janie, a girl he kind of likes, but doesn't really _like_ like – calls out, "Marcus! Hey, Marcus, is it true your mom's dating the Kaylon?"

He mutters something, possibly not actual words, too low for her to hear, and wonders if maybe it's not too late to make himself throw up and get excused from school after all.

But... "That's so cool," says Areth, her furry face wrinkling into a smile. "If anybody ever messes with you, I bet Isaac can, like, totally take them apart!" She scrunches her hands up in front of her and pulls them apart in an enthusiastic shredding gesture.

"Yeah, no doubt," says Allie. "I once saw him beat Lieutenant Kitan at arm-wrestling! Seriously. _Lieutenant Kitan._ "

"Man, I wish my mom would date somebody that interesting," says Milo. "Her boyfriend is the most boring person _ever_. All he does is hang out in storage areas and count things. Like, that's literally his job." He rolls his eyes and gives Marcus a look that might actually be envy.

"Yeah, Isaac's okay," says Marcus, shrugging his shoulders casually and trying not to smile like an idiot.

**

At home, he stands in front of the mirror and practices playing it cool for when his mom finally tells him. "Yeah, mom, I know." "Yeah, mom, I _know._ " "Yeah, duh, mom, I already know."

OK, maybe not that last one. But whenever she gets around to it he's totally going to be ready.

Although he does wonder when that's going to be. It's taking her longer than he expected, like she's afraid of his reaction or something. Which is stupid. It's not like anything bad is going to happen. Seriously, come on. _Everybody_ loves Isaac.

Not that he's going to go all gushy about Isaac being a part of their family or anything. It's pretty lame to get all emotional about your mother's boyfriend, unless you're still a baby like Ty. But he figures Isaac, of all people, will be okay with that. Isaac is really cool that way. 

Marcus is pretty sure it's all going to work out fine.


End file.
